A lighthearted and heartwarming take on the missing scenes in Joseon Roco Nokdujeon (The Tale of Nokdu). Because curiosity is a dangerous state of mind.
Dongju's face lit up the moment the wooden swing come into view. She let go of Nokdu's hand and hurriedly claimed her throne, gesturing to him to join her. He smiled at her adoringly.
"I've been meaning to ask you this. Is there a story behind the swing?"
He remembered the first time she rode the swing after they arrived in Hanyang...
Noticing her forlorn gaze, he asked if she wished to ride the swing but was met by vehement denials. He could sense that there was something holding her back. An untold story buried deeply in her heart. Hoping to embolden her, he stepped onto the swing and rode it standing up, unabashedly proclaiming that the air up there was cool and refreshing. When she continued to hesitate, he gently pushed her towards the swing and sat her down. He pushed the swing from behind her, keeping the momentum as the swing traversed a wide arc. Initially sitting down, she gradually mustered enough courage to ride the swing standing up. Her memories unfolded with each oscillation of the swing, sending her back in time to her long-lost childhood. He did not know why riding the swing made her well up with emotion, but her happy tears and melancholic smile remained firmly etched in his memory. He knew it meant a lot to her.
"My grandfather and parents... They used to watch me and my siblings play on the swing," she looked up at him and smiled without saying more.
He dutifully gave a push to launch the swing. As he was standing in front of her, every time the swing returned to its starting position, she would meet him face to face at close range, their eyes locked in an embrace. She broke away from the intensity of his unwavering gaze as her eyes subconsciously travelled to his lips. Staring at her knowingly, he gave a stronger push, setting the swing on its destined path towards him. He abruptly held both ropes to pause the swing, his eyes lingering on her lips long enough for her to notice but, after a breathless moment that seemed to last forever, he gently pushed the swing backwards again.
She stared at him lost in thought, comforted by his warm presence, fondly recalling the first time he asked her to ride the swing. His simple act of encouragement that helped her to find the key to unlock the prison of her own heart.
"I bet all you ever do to have fun in Hanyang is to play on the swings. You're like a girl from the countryside."
"Hah. Look who's talking. You are from an island. All you ever do is to have fun diving."
"Diving? That is way too lame."
"Then what do you do to have fun?"
"Have you ever surfed before? You should have seen me ride a wave that is as big as a house."
"Stop bluffing. How could a wave be as big as a house? And even if there is such a wave, how could you possibly ride it? You are no Dragon King."
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He continued holding the ropes of the swing.
"It is a pity I cannot show it to you for real."
"How about we go to the seaside right now? Is it too far away?"
He was surprised by the unexpected spontaneity of her request to head to the seaside. He would have loved to take her there immediately, but this time he had to let his head rule over his heart.
"I promise to take you there next time. We don't have enough time today, and I need to attend to some important matters."
Pretending to be upset, she pouted her lips as she swung backwards. He reached forward to catch the ropes the moment the swing ascended towards him.
"To make up for it."
Leaning forward and cupping her face gently, he swiftly planted a feathery kiss on her forehead, followed by another on her nose. She subconsciously closed her eyes in anticipation, but when he came within centimetres of her lips, he turned slightly to kiss her rose-tinted cheek. Reminded of their sensual kisses from the night before in the bedroom, she blushed a deep red and averted his smouldering gaze.
He could not bear to continue teasing her. Pulling her up gently from the swing with both hands, he proposed taking a stroll in the street market.
"It is either one of the two. You either cannot surf, or your affection for me has withered."
"What are you talking about? It is neither. It is because I need to do something important."
She sighed loudly, "It must be something much more important than me."
"No. That is not it," he sighed in exasperation.
"I was just kidding. The beach is way too far away. And I really need to go back anyway."
"You are already late. Let us eat together. You can meet the family as well. And I promise I will take you to the beach next time."
She nodded gleefully.
"Let's go!" He declared as he suddenly lifted her and carried her over his shoulders.
"What? Wait....Hey, everyone is looking. Stop!"
"Oh gosh. Wait..." He placed her down and stooped to pick up a norae (jade) pendant that had dropped. The norae pendant appeared to be broken in half.
"Is that yours?"
"Well..."
"Where is the other piece?"
"About that...I do not know...Shall we go?"
"I know what that is."
"What?"
"It is a token of love. Who gave that to you? You really did have a lover, didn't you?"
"What are you talking about? No, I didn't. Let us get going."
"You look flustered? You really had a lover?"
She shook her head petulantly and stomped off. It was her turn to tease him, and she was not going to let him off so easily.
"You are so suspicious."
"I really did not have anyone. Ah...why don't you believe me? I'm telling the truth!"
Nokdu was turning more anxious by the minute. Trailing three steps behind her, however, he did not notice the mischievous grin that was forming on her face. She quickly composed herself and put on the most serious façade she could muster before turning back to face him.
"I will forgive you if you buy me new shoes."
~~~~~~~~~~
Writer's notes:
Story of the night before: https://www.wattpad.com/833094922-nokdujeon-the-story-only-they-knew-from-episode-22
Nokdu previously refused to buy Dongju new shoes when they were shopping in the street market due to the Korean superstition that gifting shoes would signal separation between the giver and the recipient. In the last scene, Dongju purposely mentioned buying shoes again because she knew that it would provoke an overreaction from Nokdu. And she just loves to tease him.
